Having been ill almost continuously since Woollinn, I have yet to publish a Behind the Pattern post about Scéal Grá - which I assure you, is forthcoming! In the meanwhile, I have been in a state which I can only describe as shocked gratitude at how well the pattern has been doing, both in terms of sales and knitters' feedback. To be sure, the latter is owed in no small part to my wonderful new tech editor. But more on that in a separate post.

What I wanted to cover here is: Modifications!

I deliberately designed Scéal Grá to be modification-friendly in a variety of ways, and to be sure knitters have been taking advantage of that. If you browse the Scéal Grá project pages, you can see anything from short sleeved versions to tunic versions, with all manner of bodice shapes.

Apropos to this, I thought it might be helpful to publish a guideline to the mods, for those knitters who might need some guidance in figuring out the best way to do them. And so, see below -

Straight Bodice Modification

Scéal Grá is designed with an A-Line shape to the bodice, and, in addition, a subtle flounce above the hem. If desired, you can easily eliminate either or both of these features.

To knit a straight bodice, follow instructions for Bodice and Hem, but forgo the paired increases. You can then either work the flounce to add a slight flare to the hem, or not.

To knit an A-line bodice without a flounce, follow instructions for the paired increases, but forgo the Flounce section.

And if opting for either of these mods, obviously ignore all stitch counts after the initial stitch count given at the start of the Bodice section.

Short Sleeve Modification

Scéal Grá is designed with 3/4 length sleeves that end just below the elbow. But you can easily alter the sleeve length to your taste.

To knit short sleeves, follow the initial instructions for Sleeves, moving stitches onto your working needle and working the initial several rounds as described. Then skip the rest of the Sleeve section and proceed immediately to the i-cord bind off. Not that I do not recommend working lace above the sleeve edging if doing a short sleeve modification, as I feel that placing more lace so close to the yoke clutters the look of the sweater.

To knit full-length sleeves, follow instructions for Sleeves exactly as they are written to the end - but instead of the length stated, continue knitting (no longer working paired decreases after the elbow) until the sleeve reaches desired length. Note that the cuff of the long sleeve version will be fairly open, as the final stitch count must allow for the continuous lace repeat.

Tunic or Dress Modification

Scéal Grá is designed as a pullover that hits around mid hip. However, it can easily be modified into a tunic, or a dress.

To do this, follow instructions for the Bodice as-written, but omit the back shaping and then keep going until the garment reaches your desired length. As far as shaping, you have a few options. You can work without any further increases, which will give the skirt a 'tulip' shape. Or, you can continue working paired increases at sides at the same rate as you were doing for the bodice, and/or add an additional round of 'flounce' increases (worked in the same manner as the first) 5cm after the original round, depending on how sleek vs flared you would like the skirt to be.

I hope these rough guidelines help, and if you have any questions feel free to ask!